Ubaid Farid

Recently, I’ve had to temporarily relocate to a new community for one of my final placements in medical school.

Coming from Manchester, I’m used to a bustling Muslim community, masajid filled with people of all ages, familiar faces, and the warmth of exchanging salaams as I walk through the streets.

Here, it was different. I arrived in a community I knew very little about. No familiar minarets, no salaams from passers-by, and none of the familiarity I had grown accustomed to.

So naturally I searched for a masjid. I found one and made my way there for Maghrib. And even in a small community like this, I found the masjid to be a light in the entire town, and a source of peace for my soul.

I

وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تَكْرَهُوا۟ شَيْـًۭٔا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تُحِبُّوا۟ شَيْـًۭٔا وَهُوَ شَرٌّۭ لَّكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ٢١٦

Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you and like something which is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know.

Have you ever found yourself asking “Why?” - a question that naturally arises when life takes an unexpected turn.

I remember the moment I didn’t get into university the first time. It caught me off guard, and I didn’t quite know how to process it. There was confusion, disappointment, and a lingering sense of uncertainty. At the time, it felt like a setback.

But Alhamdulillah, it turned out to be o

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ هُدًۭى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَـٰتٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَٱلْفُرْقَانِ ۚ

𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.

Why is this month so special? For many reasons - but in this ayah, we are reminded of its first and most unique distinction: it is the month in which the Qur’an was revealed.

The final words of Allah swt was sent down through the seven heavens, reaching us as the ultimate guidance for humanity. What an honour it is to live in a time where we can still recite those very words! Unchanged, preserved, and alive in our hearts.

It is powerful to reflect on the fact that when this ayah was revealed, Allah already knew that centuries la

"𝙒𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚"

In Surah Hujurat, Allah mentions a group of Bedouins who said, “We believe.”

They had accepted Islam, but Allah corrects them - belief had not yet entered their hearts.

𝙄𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙛, 𝙄𝙢𝙖𝙖𝙣, 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙖 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢.

Imaan isn’t something that just sits on the tongue. Allah reminds them that submission was only the first step, but having Imaan takes work.

I often think about this as someone from a generation raised by migrants. Our parents came to this country chasing stability and opportunity, navigating a new society while trying to build a life from scratch. At the same time, we were navigating it too; school,

𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁!

قُل لَّا يَسْتَوِى ٱلْخَبِيثُ وَٱلطَّيِّبُ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكَ كَثْرَةُ ٱلْخَبِيثِ ۚ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ يَـٰٓأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

Allah makes something very clear here: 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹, 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗵, 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹! 𝗡𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀.

We live in an age of abundance. An abundance of sin, moral confusion, and values that are steadily being eroded. Over time, this filth becomes normalised. It becomes culture. I remember growing up feeling that if you didn’t participate in it, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 were the strange one.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴

إِنَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ ءَاتِيَةٌ أَكَادُ أُخْفِيهَا لِتُجْزَىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا تَسْعَىٰ

As one year ends and another begins, the passage of time becomes more apparent.

Allah reminds us that 𝘵𝘩𝘦 Hour is approaching - not as something distant but as an inevitable reality.

There is urgency in this ayah. We are told that every soul will be repaid for what it strove for. Not what it wished for, but what it actively worked towards. Every second, every minute, every breath, every glance matters. Nothing is wasted, and nothing is overlooked.

As we count down to a new year, time itself is counting down towards the Hour. Whether we feel ready or not, the clock

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸

I find it fascinating that Umar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) became softer when he became Caliph, fully aware of the responsibility he carried. He cared so much that he even thought about the welfare of a goat in the Euphrates under his leadership. Although many remember him for his firmness, we often overlook the mercy in his heart, which made him such a thoughtful and responsible leader.

Leadership is often shown to us as something authoritarian - decisive, unyielding, and sometimes ruthless. Think of Julius Caesar, commanding armies with an iron fist, or Margaret Thatcher, nicknamed the “Iron Lady” for her uncompromising approach. T

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝘆?

Every morning during my winter break I go for a walk before I start ‘locking-in’ for revision. It’s my way of clearing my head before starting the intense hours of MCQ’s and endless ANKI flashcards.

On one of the walks, I stopped at the top of a hill and 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝘆.

Everything felt 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 for a moment. There was a sense of peace and tranquility I felt simply admiring the creation of Allah (swt).

Allah says:

وَٱلسَّمَآءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ ٱلْمِيزَانَ 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 (𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘩 𝘈𝘳-𝘙𝘢𝘩𝘮𝘢𝘯)

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